School Shooting Victim Needs Help

Twelve-year-old Ashrah Felix may never have the use of her right hand again. Last month while sitting in her classroom at Sal Castro Middle School in Los Angeles, a gun went off in a classmate’s backpack. The bullet shattered Ashrah’s wrist, breaking bones and severely damaging the tendons and nerves in her dominant hand. While the details of the accident are still unclear, one thing is certain, Ashrah’s life is changed forever. Her mother tells me that she cannot do basic things for herself like bathe, dress, prepare food, write, and many other things.  She is afraid to go outside and afraid to go back to school. Her mother doesn’t want to leave her side.


I had Ashrah in my English class last year and although she struggled academically, she always had a positive attitude and tried her best. English is Ashrah’s second language, and like many of the students in this downtown Los Angeles community, Ashrah’s parents are immigrants, who came to America seeking a better life for their families. Her father is from Guatamala, and her mother in from from Mexico. Ashrah’s parents, do not speak English, so she often has to be the translator for them. Before the accident, she would work alongside her father doing odd jobs to help support the family. Her father works in construction and picks up work at Home Depot on the weekends.


Prior to the accident Ashrah faced financial and academic challenges; now she faces physical and psychological ones as well.


I am asking this community to come together to help this family through one of the most difficult times of their lives. The money raised will be used to help them pay for their housing, since the mother will be at Ashrah's bedside and cannot work. Also, for any educational supports that Ashrah requires, rehabilitation, clothing, food and basic necessities. All proceeds collected from this fundraiser will go to Gabriela Caamal, the mother of Ashrah Felix.